Published 5:00 am, Tuesday, October 6, 2009

The Texans limited Russell, the lowest-rated starting quarterback in the NFL, to 12-of-33 for 128 yards and no touchdowns in their 29-6 victory Sunday. They allowed 165 yards, second fewest in franchise history.

Now the Texans head to Glendale, Ariz., and a game against Warner and the Cardinals, who lost to Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl.

“He's an MVP in this league,” coach Gary Kubiak said of Warner on Monday. “He's a big-time guy.

“He's very smart. Even if you blitz him, his strength is getting rid of the ball quickly and throwing the ball all over the field. He's got the weapons to do that.”

Rookie cornerback Brice McCain, who’s the fastest player on the team, will get a lot of action against the Cardinals this Sunday.

Rookie cornerback Brice McCain, who’s the fastest player on the team, will get a lot of action against the Cardinals this Sunday.

Photo: Karen Warren, Chronicle

Texans prepare for aerial challenge in Arizona

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“Obviously, what they did last season was tremendous,” Kubiak said. “We know the strength of their team is to spread you out and throw the ball. We're going to get a good dose of that.

“They're going to be fresh. They were off last weekend. It's a new challenge for our team with all those playmakers they have. We're going to have to score some points.”

Last season, the only pair of receivers with more combined yards than Fitzgerald and Boldin was Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter.

Thrown into action

The Texans had three new starters in the secondary for the Oakland game — free safety Dominique Barber, strong safety Bernard Pollard and cornerback Glover Quin. Barber was a last-minute substitute for Eugene Wilson, who was ill. Wilson is supposed to return against the Cardinals.

Rookie Brice McCain, the fastest player on the Texans, will get a lot of action. It's possible Jacques Reeves, who underwent surgery to repair a dislocated pinky last week, could play for the first time.

“We've got a couple young guys (Quin and McCain) that are fixing to go against some great players,” Kubiak said. “We're going to go with these young guys. I was impressed with how Q (Quin) played (against Oakland) in his first start.

A potent trio

“I think (cornerback) Brice (McCain) came in and did some nice stuff. Dunta (Robinson) is getting better each week. The challenge is there for us defensively, and we'll have to have some young guys grow up real fast.”

The Texans need all their defensive backs available because they'll be covering the most potent trio in the NFL.

“Obviously, Fitzgerald's a big guy,” Kubiak said. “Those jump balls, those fades — those things make it very difficult for you defensively the way he can go get the ball.

“(Boldin) just scares the heck out of you. He catches a lot of screens and bubbles, and all of a sudden, it turns into a tremendous run after the catch. Breaston's making big plays for them, too.

“And I really like the (running) backs.”

The Cardinals used their first-round pick on Chris Wells from Ohio State. Tim Hightower is the starter.